Originally Posted by
maxter
737 driver: Do you not train for those failures in a sim. I think that was what was being suggested for MCAS failure, not just an Ipad brief
It is simply impractical to train for every failure mode in the sim. Even when going through the initial checkout in the 737, a pilot will not see every malfunction that is contained in our non-normal procedures (we used to call them EMERGENCY procedures, but that is a whole different topic). The preamble to our non-normal procedures state explicitly that it is impossible to come up with a checklist for every possible situation, so sound judgement always applies. In a thorough training program, however, you should see a good enough cross section of failures so that you become comfortable with a general process for handling an aircraft malfunction.
Over the years and through several different organizations, I have seen different variations and phraseology of these basic principles, but every single one of them started with the same first step -
FLY THE AIRCRAFT. This is so fundamental and so important that at one previous employer we used to say that the first three steps of any emergency was 1) Fly the aircraft, 2) Fly the aircraft, and 3) Fly the aircraft.
Sadly, this concept has to be repeated frequently because, for various reasons, pilots keep forgetting this touchstone principle. FLY THE AIRCRAFT. First, last, and always.